AARP Virginia Fraud Alert: Social media advertisement scams soar

More than one-third of U.S. adults who have bought something through an ad on their social media feed report being defrauded, according to a new AARP survey.

Don’t let scammers ad-vertise their way into your wallet this new year; here are three tips to stay ahead of social media shopping scams.

Don’t click on the ad. If the ad appears to be from a known retailer, type the address into your browser or use the retailer’s app. Scammers can impersonate legitimate retailers, and clicking on the ad could bring you to a copycat site.

Read reviews and research. If the ad is from a retailer you’re unfamiliar with, verify the site’s legitimacy. Research the company and check for complaints with organizations like the Better Business Bureau.

Check the product quality. Be wary of bait-and-switch scams where you receive a product inferior to what was advertised (or you receive nothing at all). If this happens, you can contact your credit card company to dispute the charge.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at http://www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

With nearly 1 million members in Virginia, AARP is the largest organization working on behalf of people age 50+ and their families in the Commonwealth. In recent years, AARP Virginia has successfully fought for Medicaid expansion, protections for older people against financial exploitation, nursing home staffing standards and empowering family caregivers.

To learn more about AARP Virginia, like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/aarpvirginia and follow @AARPVa on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aarpva